Pope Anacletus

01/07/2013 by Vatican.com

Pope Anacletus

There has been a lot of conflicting information about who were the popes who succeeded St. Peter after he was martyred. Popes by the names of Irenaeus, Eusebius, Augustine and Optatus were all mentioned as his successors. For many years there have been questions concerning the determination of who were the Popes to follow St. Peter. some of this confusion stems from the fact that there are scholars who claim that some of these popes may have used two of these names to refer to themselves while others think that the names represent completely different people. Despite all this confusion, the fact still remains that Pope Anacletus was among the first Roman Catholic popes to sit at the throne of St. Peter after his papacy ended.

Pope Anacletus was also known as Cletus. His date of birth remains unknown but he was born in Rome, Italy. It is thought that he was the third pope of the Holy Roman Catholic Church from c.79 to c.92; although some sources say that he reigned Rome between c.80 to c.92. He succeeded Pope Linus and was succeeded by Pope Clement I. On the other hand, some sources claim that Pope Anacletus who was also known as Pope Cletus succeeded Pope Clement I. These are ancient time that remains unclear especially concerning the order in which the earliest Roman Catholic Church popes led the church. Different registers tell us different stories. For example, there are some registers that claim that Pope Anacletus and Pope Cletus were two different popes.

Although not much is known about Pope Anacletus, he is said to have divided Rome into twenty five parishes with each parish headed by a priest. He is also said to have ordained a number of priests during his papacy, but the number is not certain.

The time of his papacy is said to have been a difficult one. Romans were persecuting Christians and many of them suffered martyrdom. This was also Pope Anacletus's fate. It is said that he was a martyr and that he died under the Emperor Domitian in c.92, in Rome Italy. He was buried next to the pope he succeeded, Pope Linus, in St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Anacletus’s feast day was celebrated on the 7th of April according to the 1969 Calendar of Saints. Yet, according to the 1955 Calendar, it was celebrated on the 13th of July. However, his feast day celebration was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969. He is still remembered as one of the saints celebrated on the 26th April.

As one of the very first popes of Roman Catholic Church, there is not much information known about Pope Anacletus. His other name Pope Cletus is still an issue of debate due to the fact that some claim that these were two different popes. However in the current official papal registers of the Catholic Church, Pope Anacletus is also known as Pope Cletus.